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European Union Voluntary Review Main Messages – High Level Political Forum 2023
The EU reaffirms, by adopting the first EU Voluntary Review (EUVR), its commitment to the full and timely implementation of the 2030 Agenda, through its internal and external action, as a shared global roadmap. Building on the concept of ‘whole-of-government’, the EU implements the 2030 Agenda in an integrated approach which places the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the core of EU policy. All EU actions and policies contribute to the implementation of the SDGs. The EU aims at a high standard of ambition through deeply transformative policies and strategies, such as the European Green Deal, which are inherently linked to the pursuit of the SDGs and promoting global transformation to a sustainable and peaceful world.
Progress towards the SDGs at global level has proven insufficient so far – a challenging trend confirmed by the latest UNSG’s Report on the SDGs. The achievement of the SDGs has been hindered by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, growing inequalities, climate change and increasing levels of environmental degradation and the impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU’s response to the various ongoing crises is based on, and aims to support, the implementation framework of the SDGs. While the EU has made progress across a large majority of the SDGs since adoption of the Agenda, this has not always been even. More progress is needed in the EU on many SDGs, in particular on those related to the protection and sustainable use of natural resources.
The Commission priorities are closely interconnected with the ‘5 Ps’ of the preamble of the 2030 Agenda. The Commission pursues the implementation of the SDGs by advancing its headline ambitions through concrete initiatives set out in the annual Commission Work Programmes. The SDGs are thus mainstreamed in EU policies and orient policy and law-making in the EU. A central element of the Commission’s approach to policy coherence for sustainable development is the revised Better Regulation framework, which contains several improvements to enhance the EU law-making process. This now requires that the impact assessment of every legislative proposal identifies how the EU action will contribute to the implementation of the SDGs.
The EUVR contains a strategic overview of the EU commitments and targets to progress towards the SDGs, including, where applicable, quantified targets for 2030. It provides a comprehensive summary of EU internal and external actions in support of the implementation of the SDGs, as well as considerations on policy coherence between action at both levels, including potential synergies and trade-offs, having regard to impacts on partner countries. The EUVR also includes orientations on actions to be undertaken to take the implementation of the 2030 Agenda further.
This determined EU action cannot be achieved without engaging with partner countries and at multilateral level, and is thus being taken further through EU’s international partnerships. The EU is committed to global recovery by supporting partner countries in developing resilient societies and economies aligned with the SDGs.
Global Gateway is the EU’s offer and effective contribution to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership. This strategy will directly contribute to the implementation of a range of interlinked SDGs. The EU will continue to actively integrate the SDGs in the projects undertaken through Global Gateway, notably in relation to sustainable infrastructure for energy, transport, and digitalisation. Together with Member States in a Team Europe approach, this will leverage multiple sources of funding including private sector investments in support of the SDGs.
SDGs can only be achieved by getting all stakeholders on board. The EUVR was carried out with the help of a broad consultation process involving stakeholders at all levels –EU institutions and bodies, national, regional and local authorities, civil society and the public at large. The EUVR includes detailed information on the overall consultations process as well as civil society views on the achievements and challenges of SDG implementation at EU level.
EU implementation of the 2030 Agenda is aligned to UN principles, values and guidelines, particularly the universality of human rights, all the more important as we celebrate the 75 th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
